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Epilogue Z
Galactic Golden Age After the final battle to defeat Yaw, Oz found himself the focus of a remarkable surge of popularity the likes of which the Galaxy had never seen. As the man who literally 'died to save us all', there were few people who did not appreciate his sacrifice nor feel some sort of debt. Oz, never one to miss an opportunity, seized his chance to fundamentally reshape the galaxy. For months before the Convergence he had been using his spy network, The Grapevine, and dream visitations to lay the groundwork for a galaxy-wide consolidation of power. Already well-known to the ruling class from his efforts to unify the galaxy in the fight against the Reavers, he set about leveraging his popularity and groundwork to bind one region after another under his banner. I took years but in the remnants of Hubertus, those that did not join outright soon did so when the Ascendent Artifact was revealed. In the Outer Rims, Oz's work to bring them into the Alliance and the many resulting lives that were saved was still remembered so they gladly joined in exchange for help with rebuilding. Kovinata remained mostly independent but with the joining of the two Ascendent families and skillful diplomacy they ultimately accepted their role as vassal state. The Alliance, itself, slowly swore over to Oz system-by-system until the Council ruled in name only. Ultimately, it was transformed into the bureaucracy that bound and ran the sprawling governmental machinery of the empire. Oz never forgot the friends and allies he met while struggling to defeat the Reavers. Of the Dragons, he was sad that the Great Mother had perished but took heart that hidden somewhere in the depths of space and time a new generation of Dragons were ready to hatch including a new Great Mother. Traxis and the other dragons had suffered greatly at the hands of the Reavers but those that survived the final battle said goodbye to our dimension and left with cryptic promises to return someday. The Treewee had also lost much in the great conflict; losing their homeworld and most of their tree-homes. Oz felt a particular fondness for their queen and so ensured they always had a place to live and flourish with the hope that someday they may be able to regrow their sacred trees and achieve the destiny described by their God Beast creator, Panteri-Furious. The Progenitors were nearly annihilated in the battle of the Convergence. In the years after the Convergence, Oz helped the survivors (Zargax, Yala, and Ophilius) to find a place in the New Era galaxy. The Church of the Gineer were drawn to Oz's story of sacrifice, death, and resurrection and saw him as a living embodiment of all that they held holy. Oz gently tried to dissuade them but they doggedly held to their beliefs and birthed a new dogma of Light and Fist which grew in popularity. For the most part it was harmless and only occasionally resulted in embarrassingly public displays of adoration (like every Convergence Day). Oz mostly ignored them but used this influence to convince the Church to transfer his sister to Ekenwynne so that she could be closer to her family. She eventually relented and agreed that maybe Oz's lifestyle choices were not so bad after-all. Xerxaw, of course, benefitted greatly from Oz's beneficence. He finally visited the soil of his planet in the days following the war. He found it's people to be bruised but not defeated even after the devastation wrought by Reaver incursions. The Caste system that elevated the lives of it's people and shattered the yoke of Baron Leno demonstrated the social system that was later successfully applied at a galactic-scale. Xerxaw also had one of the few remaining Tree Gates so it became an important center of commerce in the New Era. In particular, the Xerxaw Salvage Corporation did much to aid the rebuilding of galactic society and then later salvaged ancient technology which contributed greatly to the welfare of all peoples and the Golden Age as a whole. A few Illuminari Rangers were pulled from the shattered remains of the Dragon Mother. Oz made sure they were well equipped and ready to begin their eternal vigilance. In addition to the Galaxy, Oz also charged them with watching the Dream World. They became proficient Dream Walkers and often accompanied Oz in the Dream in search of Yaw. Over time, their numbers grew and many adventures were to be had but always were they watchful for any sign of the Reaver's return. The Guardia lost many in the final battle but those that survived were left somewhat bereft of purpose with the Prophecy fulfilled. Those that wished it were offered positions as trusted bodyguards to the Wheeler-Ekenwynn royal family. They served with honour and formed a new force, led by Captain Pablo, of imperial bodyguards who's combat prowess was respected from one end of the galaxy to the other. Unfortunately, Nero did not survive the final battle. He was found buried amongst a pile of Reaver corpses. By all accounts, he had died in a blaze of glorious light fighting to his last breath and was largely responsible for Oros surviving the battle. Despite owning one of the most impressive menageries in the entire galaxy, after Nero's death, Oz never again took a Necrite as a pet, which was probably for the best, really. Oros, himself, eventually left our galaxy via his own means after a time spent exploring with Joe. Everyone was a little nervous that he would return with a swarm of space amoebas and consume the galaxy but that never happened. Perhaps they decided to go somewhere else or perhaps they will return someday. We simply may never know. Of the Fisters, Oz made sure that the galaxy appreciated their sacrifice and treated them as heroes wherever they went. In particular, the original group of Pete, Kiwi, and Joe were to be lauded and praised. Oz did eventually share his vision of Yaw escaping into the dream with the other Fisters (but nobody else other than the Illuminari since the galaxy deserved a rest). He was never sure if it was true or not but ventured into the Dream often in search of Yaw. No sign of him was ever found. With Pete, Oz distanced himself from the judicial circus of the 'war crimes' trials and remained free of incrimination thanks to Purrina's preparations and Pete's own actions in the courtroom. It was rumoured that Oz may have had a hand in the final plea-bargain but nothing was ever proven. Oz never did share any of the profits (what little there was) from HotPete.com with its namesake but the orphans on Xerxaw sure appreciated it (while thankfully, blissfully unaware of the source). Oz held true to his promise to build Joe a manor home on Xerxaw. It came complete with a special place to store the Mantle of Xerxaw as a subtle reminder to return it to it's ancestral home someday. Oz was also happy to help fund Joe's explorative endeavours both for scientific knowledge gained and also for the strategic benefits to the security of the galaxy. It is rumoured that Oz joined Joe for an adventure or two beyond the Galaxy but with distances so vast it hardly seems possible. The Kiwi'ka followed his own path but Oz never forgot that he owed his life to him. Until his dying day, Kiwi had but to ask and Oz would deliver even if sometimes the finer details of Squirrel Politics still escaped him. On Ekenwynne, the new center of galactic power, the people recovered and rebuilt to even more glorious heights all the while, celebrating their beloved royal family. At the center of things, Oz and Uxia remained deeply in love and enjoyed each other's company immensely (with the exception of that one little incident with a young Hubertus noblewoman who bore a striking resemblance to Aglea). The galaxy rejoiced when the Wheeler-Ekenwynne family welcomed the addition of two new children; a daughter named Xella and, finally, a son whom Oz named Zack after his own father, long-lost, back on Peetree Prime. In time, the children grew up to become powerful members of the galactic community. Raised to cherish life and deplore injustice, they had many adventures and were much loved by the people. In time, they, too, became rulers of their own worlds and raised families of their own. In Kovinata in particular, Xaquilina proved to be a great leader and helped achieve much by way of her diplomatic skills which were said to rival even those of her father's. Eventually, she would become Empress, herself, and rule with legendary wisdom and justice. The reign of Oz and Uxia lasted for a thousand years (thanks to Ascendent magic) and will long be remembered as the Golden Age at the dawn of the New Era. On his deathbed, surrounded by family and friends, Oz breathed his last with a sense of contentment knowing that a farm boy from the humblest of beginnings had saved the galaxy and ushered in an era of prosperity for all. That same day, some said a she-dragon was seen in the sky with a young Oz gallantly riding her. Others said it was impossible but the legend grew, nonetheless, that Oz had departed to somewhere beyond space and time to be with the Dragons where he waits, even now, to return if ever the galaxy should be threatened anew by Reavers. Thus ends the story of Emperor Ozbourne Wheeler, first of the Ekenwynne dynasty, New Era. Back to Space Junk Log Category:Space Junk